Home entertainment system audio handling

1. A television receiver for use in a home cinema system, the receiver comprising: a tuner configured to receive and separate broadcast video and audio signals; a display screen coupled with a display driver arranged to receive and display video signals from the tuner; a plurality of speakers coupled with audio signal processing means arranged to receive, process and output signals of respective audio channels from the tuner; and an input for an audio only signal, said input coupled to a control and switching means operable to switch between 1) surround sound operation that, by means of said input, provides a common feed of a center audio channel to the plural speakers; and 2) operation that bypasses surround sound processing to deliver audio over said plural speakers, wherein said control and switching means is coupled to said display driver and is further operable to selectively disable the video signal on said display screen, when an audio only signal is detected.

2. A television receiver for use in a home cinema system, the receiver comprising: a tuner configured to receive and separate broadcast video and audio signals; a display screen coupled with a display driver arranged to receive and display video signals from the tuner; one or more internal speakers residing inside the television receiver, coupled with audio signal processing means and arranged to receive, process and output audio signals from the tuner; an input for an audio only signal by which the one or more speakers, if receiving said audio only signal, operate as a center channel for a plurality of speakers located externally to, and linked communicatively with, said receiver; and control and switching means operable to switch connection of the audio only signal processing means from the tuner to said audio only input, and to remove volume level from user control while connection is to said input and to disable the video signal on said display screen.

3. The television receiver of claim 2 , wherein the audio signal processing means includes volume control, and the control and switching means fixes operating parameters by setting volume control to a predetermined fixed level.

4. The television receiver as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the tuner is arranged to output audio signals on two or more channels, the receiver comprising a speaker coupled with a respective audio signal processing means for each such channel.

5. A television receiver as claimed in claim 2 coupled with an audio receiver and, via the audio receiver, to the plurality of speakers, wherein the audio receiver has an output for a center audio channel connected to said input of the television receiver.

6. A method for operating a television receiver for use in a home cinema system, said comprising the steps of: using a tuner to receive and separate broadcast video and audio signals; arranging a display driver to receive and display video signals from the tuner; coupling a display screen with the display driver; coupling one or more internal speakers, residing within the television receiver, with audio signal processing means arranged to receive, process and output audio signals from the tuner; providing a plurality of speakers external to said receiver and linking said plurality of speakers communicatively to said receiver; providing an input for an audio only signal by which the one or more speakers, if receiving said audio signal, operate as a center channel for said plurality of speakers; and operating control and switching means to switch connection of the audio only signal processing means from the tuner to said input, and to remove volume level from user control while connection is to said input and to disable the video signal on said display screen.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the audio signal processing means includes volume control, and the control and switching means fixes operating parameters by setting volume control, to a predetermined fixed level.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the tuner is arranged to output audio signals on two or more channels, the receiver comprising a speaker coupled with a respective audio signal processing means for each such channel.

9. A television receiver for use in a home cinema system, the receiver comprising: a tuner configured to receive and separate broadcast video and audio signals; a display screen coupled with a display driver arranged to receive and display video signals from the tuner; a plurality of speakers coupled with audio signal processing means arranged to receive, process and output signals of respective audio channels from the tuner; and an input for a further audio signal, said input coupled to a control and switching means operable to switch between 1) surround sound operation that, by means of said input, provides a common feed of a center audio channel to the plural speakers; and 2) operation that bypasses surround sound processing to deliver audio over said plural speakers, wherein the bypassing operation affords user control of volume levels of said respective audio channels, whereas said control and switching means sets volume for said center audio channel to a predetermined fixed level under said surround sound operation and disables the video signal on said display screen, when an audio only signal is detected.